T.S. AT&Ts...and Super Bowls

Time to share that Super Bowl LI spotlight, Lady GaGa.

It was announced today that Taylor Swift has signed an exclusive multi-year, multi-faceted deal with AT&T that includes not only content but also a very special night-before concert Super Bowl weekend in Houston, Texas, next winter. Which means that T.S. will headline the AT&T DirecTV Super Saturday Night show on Feb. 4, at a custom-made 64,000 square foot venue in the Space City, no less.

Tickets will be available through exclusive promotions and campaigns.

What do you think this means, Swifties? Think our gal will headline the Halftime Show in 2018...that this is just her warm-up?

Only time shall tell.

Of similar importance...so no more Apple Music spots then?

Photo: GIPHY.com.

GaGa’s Touchdown

I s’ppose the millennial hipster-like look is working out for Lady GaGa then?

Guess who is hosting the Super Bowl next year, gays? just booked the 2017 Super Bowl Halftime Show?

Got that right: The “Perfect Illusion” Mother Monster.

And now you know.

Super Bowl LI will be held next Feb. 5 in Houston, Texas.

Now. So, like, the NFL is like, totally cool with the gays now, no?

Photo: HuffingtonPost.co.uk.

Olympics Doggggd!

A few weeks after enduring the worst kind of online bullying and harassment and racism (and sexism), Ghostbuster Leslie Jones is having the time of her life.

The Saturday Night Live standout has been invited by NBC brass to take the enthusiasm she’s been showcasing via her social media – she’s Lesdogggg on Twitter and lesdogggg on Instagram – to Brazil, where she will join the Peacock’s coverage of the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Jones will begin attending live Olympic events this week to cheer on many of Team USA’s athletes in competition and spread her one-of-a-kind brand of cheer. Her coverage will air on TV and online.

This...couldn’t have fallen on the lap of a better person. :)

Photo: HollywoodReporter.com.

Your Roared, Now Rise

Two sneezes after reinserting herself she was like, pulled back in to participate in the Taylor drama (GTS, honey), Katy Perry has dropped a new single.

The single of the upcoming 2016 Rio Olympics, no less.

Titled “Rise,” the song is already available on iTunes, and it sounds like gf wants this to be her “Frozen” moment. Except Madonna knew what she was doing, and the Queen did it better.

This? This ain’t even “Roar.”.

Yeah, that was bitchy. But I am in a bitchy mood right now. Because life, clearly, has to go on.

It has to, in the face of such tremendous brutality.

Photo: Instagram.com/katyperry.

He Came, He Scored, He Conquered

And for his last act, he scored a season-high 60 points.

That is what Kobe Bryant did last night – #MambaDay! – when he played the last game of his 20-year career as a professional basketballer, with the Los Angeles Lakers, against the Utah Jazz. Final score: 101-96.

Everyone from President Obama to Magic Johnson to Hope Solo to Reese Witherspoon to Dwyane Wade, and more, took a little time yesterday, to shout out to Bryant, who needless to say, had a happy send-off.

And now the question becomes: What will Mamba do next?

Only he knows for now, so time will tell.

Photo: CNN.com.

A-Rod Out

In case you should care, 40-year-old Alex Rodriguez has announced his retirement from baseball.

A-Rod will part ways with the New York Yankees at the end of the 2017 season.

All the third baseman wants to do now is, “go home and be a dad.”

Photo: UsMagazine.com.

Under Phelps’ Armour

The Olympics are coming.

Oh – you thought I was gonna say that winter is coming because we just got a full red-band trailer for the upcoming sixth season of HBO’s Game of Thrones, huh.

Well yeah, that, too.

But back to the Olympics, which are, indeed, coming – so you best get ready to see a whole lotta DILF-to-be Michael Phelps, beginning now.

I mean, did you see his new commercial for Under Armour yet? It is pretty intense, and all about sportsmanship – so get!

The 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio will kick off on Aug. 5.

Photo: UsMagazine.com.

Coldplay & Co. Slay Super Bowl 50

Well that was a genius Super Bowl 50 Halftime Show.

Brought on to help celebrate the 50th edition of the big game, Coldplay may have initially seemed like a wildly odd choice for such a piece of Americana entertainment, but the British band proved once and for all that they are, indeed, so universally well-liked (and ragged on because haters are gon’ hate) because they are quite simply that good. There isn’t an arena, nay, a stadium on the planet that those Chris Martin-fronted Brits cannot rock, and Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on the day it would have the most eyes on it ever, was not going to be the exception. Just like it won’t be in September when Coldplay rolls back into town on its “A Head Full of Dreams Tour.”

What Coldplay & Co. – including the National Football League and the band’s special guests, Bruno Mars (with Mark Ronson) and Beyoncé, not to mention Lady GaGa early on – delivered yesterday was a master lesson in brand rebranding. Marketing at its very bestest.

Coldplay are (now) fun! The world’s harbinger-of-a-very-special-message band (more on that later, but lemme just say, the lads only want to see the world rise).

Bruno Mars is your next King of Pop – unless President of Pop Justin Timberlake decides he still wants the title, in which case I give JT six months to make a new move. I would live happy seeing those two challenge each other for life, btw.

Beyoncé’s the new and improved Madonna, near-flawless art as matter of fact (because when you Yoncé, you don’t need to peacock like Kanye), while the NFL is an American institution dead-set on showing that it cares by allowing its acts du year to move many conversations forward (again, more on that later).

Oh, and Lady GaGa is now Céline Dion.

Headliners Martin, lead guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman, and drummer Will Champion acknowledged the bull before ’em and took it by the horns, alright, sticking to their Coldplay guns by staying true to themselves and singing the songs that made them Coldplay in the first place. They reminded everyone, albeit momentarily, of the reasons why their music is so effective, and they did so by simultaneously displaying a lot of generosity toward their peers and their audience.

See, Coldplay is often mocked by the tug-at-your-heartstrings-ness and Gwyneth-ness of “Fix You,” a song believed to have been written for Martin’s now ex-wife, Gwyneth Paltrow, in the wake of her father’s death early into his relationship with the actress-turned-GOOPer, and by the, I dunno, earnestness of their true-introduction-to-world-domination single “Yellow,” a ditty that’s almost 16 years old. On paper, the Coldplays have no right being as big as they are, but, much like Adele, they connect with folks in ways folks sometimes don’t even want to accept, much less own for themselves, and their shows are pretty f---in’ magical. They make fans outta non-fans.

It’s really hard to resist Coldplay, and it’s comical to see people try.

“Viva La Vida,” a massive-hit anthem performed during the Halftime Show, is the encapsulation of Coldplay, a band that has expertly combined Olympics-quality pageantry with beautiful, effective songwriting forever. “Viva La Vida” is an honest offering, and much derided. And yet, it was a spectacular way in which to kick off things yesterday, especially because, as Martin put it, “We’re in this together. Let’s go!”

That included the game’s eventual winners, the Broncos, as well as the Carolina Panthers, the thousands gathered at Levi’s Stadium, those millions of us watching at home...and, indeed, Beyoncé and Bruno Mars.

Both previous halftime headliners came back to the Super Bowl turf as special guests and helped the NFL and Coldplay celebrate the annual tradition’s past, the moment...the present, and especially its future. Mars went first, capping a winning year by serving an electric performance of his and Mark Ronson’s huge, Grammy-nominated “Uptown Funk.” His charismatic, unreal dance moves were the thing dreams are made of, and prove that he has a claim to the throne the late Michael Jackson once occupied.

And then there was Queen B.

As she showed us once before, Beyoncé is the real deal. An artist and a badass bitch through and through. An amazing example of womanhood, blackhood, and feminism, all wrapped up into a vessel-like artiste that has learned from the best (M) and will progressively continue to set the bar higher and move the conversations we need to be having forward through the sheer power of art. Through her own sheer power. She gives what we need while giving what we want, all the while letting her message speak for itself and for herself (because we may crave Beyoncé, but we don’t need or get to have all of Beyoncé, ergo the rare public appearances and via-email-only interviews).

That she performed her then-surprise new single “Formation (Dirty),” a song barely 24 hours old, should come as zero a surprise. Gf didn’t just come to play. She came to slay, OK (pardon the clichéd use of her latest chanson de guerre). Beyoncé is a disciplined student of the School of Queen of Pop Madonna; her savvy is incredible, so, of course, she would trot out “Formation (Dirty).” The world already knew it; it was beyond-familiar with its commentaries on identity and current sociopolitical matters. Also not a surprise? That she would announce a new tour immediately following the Super Bowl 50 Halftime Show.

Do not insult or, worse, discount Beyoncé’s intelligence ever again, world. And remember, she doesn’t want to be Queen of Pop. Bitch she’s Beyoncé!

Which brings me back to Coldplay.

Everything came back full circle for the band after it gracefully relinquished the spotlight to two other acts because those guys knew people would love it. And those guys, they’re not going to withhold from their fans. Their move to share was smart, and it proved that you can be a person who enjoys many things. You can love many things. You can believe in love. Which means you can believe...in peace.

Yes, even peace got a rebrand (thanks, #BelieveInLove!).

Coldplay was brought on, by the NFL, to help celebrate the 50th edition of its big football game. The band shared the spotlight with two true individuals, who each had something important to say (they, too, are the face of America...they like to have unapologetic fun and form and share meaningful opinions on the state of the nation – deal with it because it’s a good thing, and it’s a very good and American thing that it’s happening; and you could say that Coldplay, Brits that they are, making their way stateside, represented the face of immigration).

Everybody won (alright, maybe, not the Panthers). “Up&Up” we go.

Photo: Facebook.com/coldplay.

Update: Since the show celebrated past performers with two big returns and some clips, what gives? Why was Madonna not shown on TV?

I am pretty sure it has nothing to do with anything other than she probably was shown at the stadium, just not on the televised show. Some cutaway more than likely cut away from her and others.

Oh. What. Do you think it has something to do with the beef M supposedly has with...Gwyneth Paltrow? That G.P. put the kibosh on showing M, telling her consciously uncoupled ex and her BFF Beyoncé to diss the Queen?

Doubtful.

That would not be on brand.

Hymn for the Super Bowl

Big Duh Alert!

Beyoncé is going to join Coldplay at Super Bowl 50.

Of course Queen B (pictured here with Chris Martin) will be there: She features on the NFL’s choice for entertainment’s “Hymn for the Weekend,” one of the tracks off of A Head Full of Dreams, the band’s most recent release. Not to mention, they are all trying to ride that TIDAL wave together.

The 2016 Super Bowl is set for Feb. 7 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif.

Your move, Gwyneth.

Photo: Onclef.com.

A Head Full of Football

Santa Clara, Calif., is gonna have a “Yellow” winter.

Coldplay have been tapped to headline the 2016 Super Bowl’s halftime show. And you know what that means, right?

No, not just that their new album, A Head Full of Dreams, will be huge but that Gwyneth is coming to San Francisco!

Love it. (And, yes, I know they are consciously uncoupled and divorced an all, but.)

Super Bowl 50 is set for Feb. 7, and the game will air live on CBS.

Photo: IBTimes.co.uk.

Tommy’s Punto Español!

Now that the U.S. Open is upon us – it is high time we see some tennis players in their undies, yo.

Enter Rafael Nadal.

The guy has taken to modeling for Tommy Hilfiger, and it’s a cute thing.

Ace!

Photo: TooFab.com.

Cleaning Up the FIFA

Just a little more than a month after she was (finally!) confirmed as attorney general, Loretta Lynch has made her first bold move.

She is going after the FIFA.

You know, FIFA...the massive international international that governs all of the matters pertaining to the sport of soccer. No big.

Lynch’s Justice Department launched a huge offensive against corruption within the FIFA when she announced today that she is charging 14 of the organization’s officials and corporate execs with criminal charges arguing that they took about $150 million in bribes and kickbacks for the better part of the last 25 years. Nine of these officials were arrested in Switzerland already, and the United States is working on extraditing ’em for trial (some reportedly already have admitted to their guilt...).

Sepp Blatter, the four-term-and-seeking-another FIFA president, was not charged – yet? – and the now-even-more-controversial World Cup tournaments in Russia (2018) and 2022 (Qatar) will remain in place and on schedule.

Photo: Demanjo.com.

Suspended for Deflatin’

Tom Brady is vowing this morning to appeal the four-game suspension the NFL handed him yesterday in the wake of #Deflategate.

As you’ll remember, the New England Patriots, Brady’s celebrated team, was embroiled in a they-deflated-footballs! scandal during the AFC Championship against the Indiana Colts last January. Of course, the Patriots went on to win the Super Bowl a month later...while the Colts got pretty much bubkes.

While the NFL found that the team did not deliberately attempted to deflate the balls, it also concluded that a Pats locker-room attendant and an equipment assistant totally did, and that Brady exhibited “conduct detrimental to the integrity of the [organization].”

And for that, the NFL also fined the team a cool mill and took away its 1st round pick in the 2016 draft, as well as a 4th rounder in 2017.

Well, at least the guy still has Gisele.

Photo: IBTimes.com.

A Missy Moment

So, as expected, Katy Perry performed at halftime during Super Bowl XLIX earlier tonight (which, btw, saw the New England Patriots beat the Seattle Seahawks, 28-24), and her show – fine and colorful and pop-y as it was – was all about Missy Elliott.

Yes, Misdemeanor stole the show right from under the Jeremy Scott-clad Perry som’in’ fierce.

And I loved it.

I betcha everybody was expecting Perry’s other special guest, Lenny Kravitz, to be the one to outdo the “Firework”er, but, nah, kids – it was the “Get Ur Freak On” rapper’s time to shine. Her energy was, I dunno, more that crowd...sportier. Yeah. That is it. She was way more Super Bowl-y, as evidenced by the songs hits she brought to the stage, including the aforementioned and “Lose Control.”

It’s funny. Because Elliott doesn’t fit the mold of what a pop star’s supposed to look like these days – and never has – it’s easy to, no, not to dismiss her but to not keep her present of mind when it comes to a gig like football’s biggest night. But Elliott has worked with enough people that she could have headlined the halftime gig and called upon some special guests of her own. Lord knows she’s produced enough material for other artists that she could have called in a few favors.

More Missy, por favor!

Photo: UsMagazine.com.

Missy Elliott Shall Super Bowl with Katy Perry, Too

You know, I wonder if anyone will accuse her of blackppropriatin’ her guests’ talents....

Missy Elliott has been announced as the second special guest who will join Katy Perry during her Super Bowl halftime performance. Lenny Kravitz was the first special guest announced.

Super Bowl XLIX, as you probably know, is set for this Sunday, Feb. 1, in Phoenix, Ariz., with the Patriots and the Seahawks playing for the win.

Photo: RollingStone.com.

Lenny Kravitz Shall Super Bowl with Katy Perry

Funny: I was just thinking yesterday that there is a surprising lack of buzz surrounding Katy Perry’s upcoming halftime performance at next month’s Super Bowl.

Enter the buzz-making machine.

Perry announced yesterday that she has invited Lenny Kravitz to be her first special guest during the show on Feb. 1.

Which means there will be others?

They can’t all be Beyoncé or Madonna, I guess. (Sure, they both had guests, too – but they were considerably far less famous guests.)

Oh, I mean that only half-bitchy, OKRRR.

Photo: radio.com.

Skating Out

Elite figure skater Eric Radford has come out of the closet.

Now, this is significant because, well...because we have us a new out and proud gay man out there who can serve as a role model to today’s youth – Radford is a Sochi silver medalist – and because the 29-year-old Ontario native has become the first skater to make such a revelation at the very height of his competitive career.

Right on!

Radford lives in Montreal with his bf of four years and his teenaged daughter.

Photo: Towleroad.com.

Katy Perry Super Bowls

It’s 100 percent official now: Katy Perry will handle the halftime-show fun at next year’s Super Bowl.

The NFL made it official last tonight, when it released this video, which features Perry previewing a whole bunch of Perry-esque awesomeness (glitter! kittens! fireworks!).

The Super Bowl XLIX is set for Feb. 1.

Oh, and btw, the game will air on NCb.

Photo: EW.com.